Horns (Brass And Woodwinds)

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started on trumpet at 11 years old. By the time I was 12 I was sure that I was going to be a professional musician. Picked up a few more instruments in high school, then moved to the East Coast, Philadelphia, for college. Left college to start the band Townhall. In Townhall we made 3 studio albums one live album, and toured 280 days out of the year. In 2006 after almost 7 years we decided to end the band. After Townhall, I moved back to L.A. and worked as a studio musican. A random horn session with Producer Cisco Adler for his Top Ten project, Shwayze, led to a position in the live band as well as a full time instrumentalist co-producer and co-songwriter in the studio. After leaving Shwayze in 2011, I closed the computer and spent a year focused on writing with only an acoustic guitar, and my voice. In 2012 I was asked to be the Music Director at Hotel El Ganzo, a job which included building and designing a recoding studio and moving to Los Cabos for two years to develop El Ganzo's artist in residence program. Through El Ganzo, I have had the pleasure of recording with artists from all over Latin America and Europe. Currently living in L.A. I work with artists on their projects as well as building of library of music that is intended for film, television and advertising synchronization.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: First to mind would be Sia, John Mayer and Adele. All for the similar reasons, Because they are the best, but also because I know the lyrics will be cool and the vocals will sound great. I can learn so much from people like that.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: So many styles! When producing for sync I love high energy, feel good pop music.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Right now I'd say producers like Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Greg Kurstin are a few of my favorites. I like that they are very diverse in their work but you can still hear their quality strung throughout the different productions. For mixers, I'm inspired by Manny Marraquin because he is simply the best and Andrew Schepps because he is an excellent teacher.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have a project that I am producing called Clover Club. It is with the artist Addie Hamilton. The song "Heaven" is our first release.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: My promise is to always be 100% honest and transparent and that I will do my best work for every single client.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like the fact that at the end of the day we made something amazing out of thin air.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That anyone can do it. There are many many steps to producing music These days. I would argue, much more than in the past, and that is because technology has become a part of music. It takes a lot of time and patience to produce a whole song, and to be a good producer you have to love the monotony of the process.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is the feeling you want for this song? What emotions are you looking to create for the listener?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Never be afraid to give any feedback. Its very important that there is a clear communication and you are always 100% honest. If you don't like something, we will change it.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Assuming the island had power: 1. Computer (Fully loaded) 2. Apollo Twin 3. A set of monitors 4. A microphone 5. Acoustic Guitar

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Again, creating a musical vibe, but to be less ethereal I'd have to say arranging a song and the instruments on that song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: First and foremost, Vibe. When you are starting from scratch, I believe the most important thing is to establish a vibe. To me, the vibe of the track is what gives life to the melodies and lyrics. Vibe is #1 and I am a vibe man!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Ethan Roberts. He's a great all around musician/songwriter/producer and is super consistent.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital... In my work flow, I need to be able to reproduce sounds as well and go back to make revisions. In the digital world there is never an issue with that.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Vibey, Tight and Clear.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Most commonly I will do horn recording and arranging, or production and mix work.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: To me the most important thing is to start with the best sounds you can get. Don't think that a sound can be improved later by plug-ins.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: A typical song writing session would look like this. In Ableton I will develop chord progressions, drum beats and other elements to create a "vibe." Then offer top line and concept ideas. I like to find the "title" or main hook of the song first, then write around that. For artists that are strong top liners and lyricist, I focus on bringing the best out of what they are writing and contribute lyrics or a cool twist of phrase. Once lyrics are written, or a section of the song is ready, we will record the vocals. After vocals are recorded the co-writer/ artist will often add a few more elements, and go on their way. I then proceed to add the instruments, sound design, samples and programming that the song needs, this is my production process. Once the production elements are complete I will transfer everything to Pro Tools and mix the song. I will then send the mix to the artists and my team for feedback, and all revisions will be addressed to get the best mix.